Typhoon, mudslides kill 18 in Japan; 45 missing

By MARI YAMAGUCHI , Associated Press

Oct. 17, 201312:02 AM ET

TOKYO (AP) — Rescue workers were combing through piles of debris from mudslides that buried people and destroyed dozens of homes on a Japanese island, as officials acknowledged Thursday that an evacuation could have saved lives.

Uncredited

Rescue workers look for survivors as they stand on the rubble of a house buried by mudslides after a powerful typhoon hit Oshima on Izu Oshima island, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of Tokyo Wednesday morning, Oct. 16, 2013. Typhoon Wipha has lashed Japan, leaving at least seven people dead on a Pacific island south of Tokyo as it cut across the capital region and headed north. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, CREDIT MANDATORY

Rescue workers look for survivors as they stand on the rubble of a house buried by mudslides after a powerful typhoon hit Oshima on Izu Oshima island, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of Tokyo Wednesday morning, Oct. 16, 2013. Typhoon Wipha has lashed Japan, leaving at least seven people dead on a Pacific island south of Tokyo as it cut across the capital region and headed north. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, CREDIT MANDATORY

Houses in a residential area in Oshima are buried by mudslides after a powerful typhoon hit Izu Oshima island, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of Tokyo Wednesday morning, Oct. 16, 2013. Typhoon Wipha has lashed Japan, leaving at least seven people dead on a Pacific island south of Tokyo as it cut across the capital region and headed north. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, CREDIT MANDATORY

Landslide survivors offer prayers as the body of a victim is carried by rescue workers in the rubble of houses in Oshima damaged by landslides after a powerful typhoon hit Izu Oshima island, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of Tokyo Wednesday morning, Oct. 16, 2013. Typhoon Wipha triggered landslides and caused multiple deaths on the Japanese island, before sweeping up the country's east coast, grounding hundreds of flights and paralyzing public transportation in Tokyo during Wednesday morning's rush hour. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, CREDIT MANDATORY

A woman looks at the aftermath of landslides in the rubble of smashed houses in Oshima after a powerful typhoon hit Izu Oshima island, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of Tokyo Wednesday morning, Oct. 16, 2013. Typhoon Wipha triggered landslides and caused multiple deaths on the Japanese island, before sweeping up the country's east coast, grounding hundreds of flights and paralyzing public transportation in Tokyo during Wednesday morning's rush hour. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, CREDIT MANDATORY

Fire fighters stand on rocks fallen from a cliff over a garage and a road in a residential area in Kamakura, southwest of Tokyo, after a powerful typhoon hit Japan's metropolitan area Wednesday morning, Oct. 16, 2013. Typhoon Wipha triggered landslides and caused multiple deaths on a Japanese island off Tokyo, before sweeping up the country's east coast, grounding hundreds of flights and paralyzing public transportation in Tokyo during Wednesday morning's rush hour. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, CREDIT MANDATORY

At least 18 deaths were confirmed from Typhoon Wipha and 45 people are missing, the government said.

Hardest hit from the storm, which swept up Japan's eastern coast Wednesday, was Izu Oshima island, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of Tokyo. Some 1,100 rescuers were searching through mountains of trees, wrecked homes and other debris, shouting in hopes of finding survivors. Residents and shop owners cleaned out the mud from their buildings.

"There is concern that perhaps more lives could have been saved if there had been an evacuation. We have concluded this and must apologize," said Masafumi Kawashima, mayor of Izu Oshima.

Katsunobu Kato, a government spokesman, told reporters that his understanding is that proper warnings were issued regarding forecasts for torrential rains.

The areas affected by the mudslides were indicated as hazardous zones on maps, he said, adding that the government was checking to see if there was any factual basis for complaints that an evacuation order should have been issued.

More than 350 homes were damaged or destroyed, including 283 on Izu Oshima, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.

The typhoon, was downgraded to a tropical storm Wednesday evening and churned offshore from the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.

More than 80 centimeters (30 inches) of rain fell on Izu Oshima during a 24-hour period ending Wednesday morning, the most since record-keeping began in 1991.

Izu Oshima is the largest island in the Izu chain southwest of Tokyo. It has one of Japan's most active volcanoes, Mount Mihara, and is a major base for growing camellias. About 8,200 people live on the island, which is accessible by ferry from Tokyo.

TOKYO (AP) — Rescue workers were combing through piles of debris from mudslides that buried people and destroyed dozens of homes on a Japanese island, as officials acknowledged Thursday that an evacuation could have saved lives.